Lieutenant Governor of TexasDan Patrick

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Lt. Governor Patrick Announces Additional Legislative Priorities

November 30, 2016

Top Priority Bills Affirm Commitment to Life, Liberty and Conservative Government that Promotes Prosperity

AUSTIN – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick followed-up on his release earlier this month of Top Twenty Legislative Priorities today with five additional pieces of legislation that will receive low bill numbers, indicating that he has also designated them as high-priorities. He issued the following statement with the announcement:

“These 5 pieces of legislation, along with the 20 bills previously announced, will be my top priorities in the 2017 legislative session. These bills reflect the agenda that a majority of Texans elected me to push forward. They reflect our Texas values including life, liberty and a principled conservative government. These tenets will maintain our strong economy and make us a strong global competitor.”

SB 21 – Convention of States – I support the efforts of Governor Greg Abbott in adopting a call for an Article V “Convention of States” to limit the power of the federal government.

SB 22 – Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) – By targeting workforce-ready partnerships between K-12, higher education and industry, we will continue to improve our workforce and prepare students to be successful in today’s competitive and rapidly changing economy.

SB 23 – E-Verify – I will continue the efforts of the Texas Legislature in the electronic verification of employment authorization. This will ensure that individuals employed by state partners are also authorized for employment.

SB 24 – Religious Liberty – Sermon Safeguard – The Senate will continue to protect the most fundamental First Amendment religious liberty rights by protecting pastors from forced testimony and shielding sermons from government subpoena power.

SB 25 – Wrongful Birth – The Senate will continue to fight to protect and value the lives of children born with disabilities by prohibiting this cause of action in Texas.

To see the legislative priorities the lieutenant governor previously announced click here and here.

The lieutenant governor has designated an additional five low bill numbers – SB 26 to SB 30 – that will be assigned and announced between now and the beginning of the 2017 legislative session.